CHAMINADE Piano Trios

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Cécile (Louise Stèphanie) Chaminade

Genre:

Chamber

Label: Dabringhaus und Grimm

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 73

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: MDG303 2002-2

MDG303 2002-2. CHAMINADE Piano Trios

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Piano Trio No. 1 Cécile (Louise Stèphanie) Chaminade, Composer
Cécile (Louise Stèphanie) Chaminade, Composer
Parnassus Trio
Piano Trio No. 2 Cécile (Louise Stèphanie) Chaminade, Composer
Cécile (Louise Stèphanie) Chaminade, Composer
Parnassus Trio
Capriccio Cécile (Louise Stèphanie) Chaminade, Composer
Cécile (Louise Stèphanie) Chaminade, Composer
Parnassus Trio
Trois Morceaux Cécile (Louise Stèphanie) Chaminade, Composer
Cécile (Louise Stèphanie) Chaminade, Composer
Parnassus Trio
Romanza appassionata Cécile (Louise Stèphanie) Chaminade, Composer
Cécile (Louise Stèphanie) Chaminade, Composer
Parnassus Trio
Sommeil d’enfant Cécile (Louise Stèphanie) Chaminade, Composer
Cécile (Louise Stèphanie) Chaminade, Composer
Parnassus Trio
So far as I can see, this is only the second time that both of Chaminade’s piano trios have appeared together on the same disc. You might have missed them on the small dB Productions label and, as that disc lasts just 47 minutes and the performances lack the suave polish of the Trio Parnassus, this newcomer is really your only option. Even without that lack of choice, I would strongly recommend it.

The Trio Parnassus has been winning awards and critical acclaim since it was founded in 1983 by cellist Michael Gross. But let’s be clear. The trio has had numerous changes of personnel, the only constant being Gross himself. This recording is the first made with violinist Julia Galic´ and pianist Johann Blanchard. The latter is as close as anyone I know to being a Chaminade specialist (Harriet Smith gave a welcome to his solo Chaminade recital in July 2015) and here shows himself to be a chamber musician of real distinction. The three sound as though they have been together for decades while retaining their freshness and character.

Chaminade may not have the distinctive voice of Mendelssohn or Schumann, and she may lack the originality of Brahms or Fauré (these are the four composers who seem to be her models), but there is more than enough in the elegant, well-crafted pages of her piano trios to convince you of their merit. Dip into the scherzo third movement (Presto leggiero) of the four-movement First Trio (1880) or the expressive cantabile of the second movement of the Second Trio (1886) and it is hard to see why they are so little known. Elsewhere, Chaminade’s fecundity produced uneven results. For example, only one of the Trois Morceaux for violin and piano is truly memorable – but then turn to the Capriccio, Op 18 (which might have been penned by Fritz Kreisler), and, if you have a sweet tooth, the lovely Romanza appassionata (Chaminade’s own arrangement for cello and piano), and only the most hair-shirted of music lovers could fail to be charmed.

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